https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/inorganic_chemistry/ Inorganic Chemistry News. Inorganic compounds, gold buckyballs and laser light breaking molecular bonds, read all the latest chemistry articles here. Full-text, images, free. en-us Wed, 09 Sep 2026 10:08:34 EDT Wed, 09 Sep 2026 10:08:34 EDT 60 https://www.sciencedaily.com/images/scidaily-logo-rss.png https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/inorganic_chemistry/ For more science news, visit ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260909005148.htm Scientists found that a tiny atomic structure that forms on nickel oxide during methane conversion is more effective than the metallic nickel long believed to drive the reaction. The discovery allowed a low-nickel catalyst to rival one containing 10 times more metal, potentially opening the door to cheaper and more efficient industrial catalysts. Wed, 09 Sep 2026 01:33:42 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260909005148.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201552.htm Physicists have directly observed a long-predicted quantum effect of gravity, putting one of Einstein’s foundational ideas to a striking new test. Using ultracold atoms, researchers split an atom’s quantum wave so that one part was held in place while the other fell freely under gravity, then reunited the two to measure the tiny difference that emerged. Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:09:21 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201552.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260904000313.htm The LUX-ZEPLIN experiment has detected a rare particle interaction that looks unusually difficult to explain as ordinary background noise and appeared where dark matter might be expected. Scientists are not claiming a discovery yet, but additional data could show whether this single mysterious event is the first hint of a long-sought dark matter particle. Fri, 04 Sep 2026 02:46:01 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260904000313.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260903064222.htm A more realistic quantum model has revealed evidence that strange, nearly immobile quasiparticles called fractons could exist in solid materials. Their inability to move freely could make them promising building blocks for unusually robust quantum information storage. Mon, 07 Sep 2026 01:45:36 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260903064222.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260901010715.htm Scientists have uncovered an unusual form of electron behavior in zirconium pentatelluride, a quantum material that can act as both an insulator and a conductor. Under temperatures near absolute zero and magnetic fields reaching 60 tesla, electrons produced quantum oscillations that continued even after conventional physics predicted they should disappear. Sat, 05 Sep 2026 00:18:12 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260901010715.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260901010659.htm Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered an unexpected form of the Hall effect, overturning the long-held assumption that this electrical response only appears when a magnetic field points perpendicular to a material. Beyond expanding a century-old principle of physics, the finding could eventually lead to simpler magnetic sensors for electronics, transportation, and medical technologies. Thu, 03 Sep 2026 08:17:16 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260901010659.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260831015157.htm Solar sails pushed by powerful lasers could reach incredible speeds, but relativity may eventually make the light itself work against them. At around 75% of the speed of light, scattered photons can begin creating drag, adding a surprising obstacle to interstellar travel. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 10:51:21 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260831015157.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260831015147.htm A search for one mysterious particle unexpectedly revealed evidence for two different structures that may belong to the bizarre family of exotic subatomic particles known as XYZ states. The findings could help physicists uncover new ways that quarks and gluons combine to create matter. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 01:28:30 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260831015147.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260829035223.htm Diamond was thought to be incapable of producing electricity through mechanical deformation, but ultrathin flexible diamond membranes have now shown a strong and repeatable piezoelectric effect. The unexpected discovery could open the door to diamond-powered sensors, tiny energy systems, and self-powered medical implants. Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:13:53 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260829035223.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260828005226.htm Quantum mechanics and Einstein’s theory of gravity explain almost everything we see in nature, yet physicists still do not know how to unite them. A new theoretical framework suggests that some experiments that appear to show gravity behaving quantum mechanically may have a much more ordinary explanation. Researchers found that scenarios involving a supposed “superposition of gravity” can sometimes be described equally well as quantum particles moving through classical spacetime. Sat, 29 Aug 2026 22:58:40 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260828005226.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260828005220.htm Researchers have discovered a way to turn notoriously difficult-to-recycle PVC plastic into a key ingredient used in high-performance lubricants such as engine oil. The technique could give mountains of plastic waste a valuable second life while making lubricant production more sustainable. Sat, 29 Aug 2026 08:24:41 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260828005220.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260827010510.htm Scientists have cracked a long-standing chemistry problem, creating nanocrystals from tough metal nitrides that were previously extremely difficult to produce at this scale. The breakthrough could turn familiar materials used in LEDs, implants, and superconductors into building blocks for flexible electronics, printable devices, and other technologies. Sun, 30 Aug 2026 07:45:32 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260827010510.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260827010504.htm Researchers used AI to search through more than 100 million possible settings for 3D-printing a high-performance NASA alloy. After only 40 experiments, the system identified six successful configurations, including one that worked at a record-low 500 watts. That could allow GRCop-42, currently difficult and expensive to print, to be made with much more widely available equipment. Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:08:01 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260827010504.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260824065601.htm Scientists have created a highly efficient catalyst that breaks down stubborn lignin from plant waste into useful chemicals under relatively mild conditions. By revealing exactly how the catalyst works at the atomic level, the discovery could help turn forestry and agricultural waste into renewable building blocks for fuels, plastics, and other materials. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 06:09:15 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260824065601.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260823015019.htm A massive test of gravity across the cosmos found that it behaves almost exactly as Newton and Einstein predicted, even across galaxy clusters hundreds of millions of light-years apart. The result weakens some modified-gravity explanations and strengthens the case that dark matter is behind the universe’s mysterious missing mass. Mon, 24 Aug 2026 21:49:06 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260823015019.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260823014940.htm Scientists have developed an ultrathin coating that could dramatically improve how efficiently heat is transferred during condensation. By turning tiny polymer structures once considered “defects” into places where water droplets can form, then helping those droplets detach quickly, the new surface keeps exposing fresh areas for condensation. In tests on copper tubes, it transferred heat up to 5.5 times more effectively than conventional copper and more than 50% better than a standard water-repelling coating. Sun, 23 Aug 2026 01:49:40 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260823014940.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260822015213.htm Researchers have found a way to create a complete 3D image of a molecule’s wavefunction, one of quantum mechanics’ most fundamental yet elusive features. By combining advanced photoelectron measurements with newly designed algorithms, the University of Göttingen team reconstructed the molecular orbital of a nanometer-sized organic molecule in remarkable detail, even resolving features smaller than the spacing between its carbon atoms. Mon, 24 Aug 2026 05:55:19 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260822015213.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260822015143.htm Researchers at CERN have created microscopic versions of the early Universe by colliding surprisingly small atomic nuclei at nearly the speed of light. The collisions produced quark-gluon plasma, the ultra-hot matter believed to have filled the cosmos shortly after the Big Bang. Even more intriguingly, the particles left behind reveal the shape of the nuclei that created them, offering a new way to probe both nuclear physics and the Universe’s earliest moments. Sun, 23 Aug 2026 09:08:55 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260822015143.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260821012228.htm Freezing the liquid core of an optical fiber produced an extreme environment where light and sound interact more than 1,000 times more strongly than in ordinary fibers. Researchers used the effect to create optoacoustic memory, potentially paving the way for lower-energy photonic computers and advanced quantum technologies. Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:02:37 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260821012228.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260820202856.htm Scientists watched a light-triggered hidden state form inside a material in only 30 femtoseconds, revealing a step that had never been seen before. The material first entered a fleeting electronic state in which its bonds reorganized in a repeating pattern, followed by tiny atomic shifts. This ultrafast pathway could offer a new way to control electronic properties with light and help inspire faster, more responsive technologies. Fri, 21 Aug 2026 08:01:30 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260820202856.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260820002424.htm Extreme experiments have revealed how diamond behaves at crushing pressures beyond those inside Neptune and Uranus, resolving a decades-old conflict between theory and observation. The results could help scientists boost fusion energy output while revealing more about the exotic diamond rain hidden inside ice giant planets. Thu, 20 Aug 2026 04:55:15 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260820002424.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260819041231.htm MIT physicists found that two electronic phases inside the same quantum material emerge through surprisingly different mechanisms—one smoothly and the other in expanding pockets resembling growing ice crystals. The discovery could help explain how exotic properties such as superconductivity and magnetism develop and coexist. Wed, 19 Aug 2026 21:32:04 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260819041231.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260819041222.htm A tiny machine made from just an atom and particles of light may sound impossibly simple, but it raises a surprisingly difficult question: what counts as heat, and what energy can still do useful work? University of Basel researchers have developed a theoretical framework that brings quantum physics and thermodynamics into better agreement for these microscopic “light engines.” Wed, 19 Aug 2026 07:49:52 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260819041222.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260816044835.htm Einstein’s abandoned cosmological constant made a spectacular comeback when astronomers discovered that the universe’s expansion is accelerating. It now sits at the heart of our best cosmological model—a model that works extraordinarily well, yet may still be wrong. Tue, 18 Aug 2026 01:58:07 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260816044835.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260815064805.htm Physicists may have uncovered a hidden feature inside protons that helps preserve one of matter’s most fundamental properties. RHIC collision data suggest baryon number is carried not simply by three quarks, but by a Y-shaped junction of the gluons connecting them. The finding challenges a decades-old textbook picture and could deepen our understanding of why protons—and ultimately matter itself—remain stable. Sun, 16 Aug 2026 05:55:45 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260815064805.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260815064801.htm Scientists have discovered that tiny, sharply curved wrinkles in graphene can dramatically alter its electrical behavior, creating surprisingly strong charge separation. The finding suggests future electronics could be tuned by reshaping materials at the atomic scale instead of changing what they’re made of. Sun, 16 Aug 2026 22:28:23 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260815064801.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260812015156.htm Physicists have found a new way to peer inside one of matter’s most elusive quantum states: the Wigner crystal, where electrons stop behaving like independent particles and organize into a crystal-like pattern. By shining light on an atomically thin material cooled close to absolute zero, researchers uncovered optical signals that reveal not just where the electrons are, but how they move together. Wed, 12 Aug 2026 05:10:01 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260812015156.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260811052717.htm Scientists have created an unusually corrosion-resistant stainless steel that could replace costly titanium components used to produce green hydrogen. The breakthrough could reduce structural material costs by roughly 40 times and make seawater-based hydrogen production far more economical. Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:59:40 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260811052717.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260810015714.htm Silver nanocatalysts have been found to switch where they perform their most important reactions depending on whether a solid oxide cell is making electricity or hydrogen. The discovery could enable smarter catalyst designs that boost clean power generation while making green hydrogen more energy-efficient. Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:27:30 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260810015714.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035147.htm Chemists have developed a catalyst that breaks a long-standing rule governing which molecules receive electrons during chemical reactions. By releasing electrons directly into solution, the technique could unlock reactions—and potentially useful new molecules—that were previously out of reach. Sun, 09 Aug 2026 07:02:03 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035147.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035140.htm A new nanostructured carbon design lets fuel-cell catalysts use tiny amounts of platinum while remaining remarkably stable and efficient. The breakthrough could help hydrogen fuel cells become a more practical way to power data centers, vehicles, and other energy-intensive technologies. Sat, 08 Aug 2026 10:09:02 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035140.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260806050706.htm Scientists have created the first quantum material that can sort and transport different quantum states of light at room temperature, potentially removing the need for bulky, ultra-cold refrigeration systems. Built from a gold film carved with hundreds of microscopic structures, the ultrathin “metacrystal” acts like a filter that directs different kinds of quantum light along separate paths while preserving the information they carry. Sat, 08 Aug 2026 09:17:32 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260806050706.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260805082506.htm Scientists have demonstrated that heat can move through a crystal in focused, wave-like rays at room temperature instead of spreading randomly. The breakthrough could make it possible to route heat around sensitive parts of next-generation chips and quantum devices. Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:22:48 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260805082506.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260804034642.htm A new hollow nanoreactor mimics living cells to make hydrogen peroxide more efficiently using visible light. Its light-trapping cavity and proton-shuttling shell could open new possibilities for cleaner chemical manufacturing and artificial photosynthesis. Thu, 06 Aug 2026 08:03:02 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260804034642.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260803080919.htm Scientists have successfully generated electricity with a hydrogen turbine that produces its own pressure through detonation waves instead of relying on a mechanical compressor. The breakthrough could unlock dramatically more efficient power systems for clean energy and future aviation. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 09:02:27 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260803080919.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260802223422.htm When atomic nuclei smash together at nearly the speed of light, they create the hottest fluid in the universe, but scientists may have overlooked one of its most important forces. New simulations reveal that extreme acceleration builds up along the edges of quark-gluon plasma, helping drive its explosive expansion. This acceleration may do far more than move the fluid, potentially changing its temperature-like behavior, influencing particle spins, and even reshaping how matter transitions between fundamental states. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 07:58:59 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260802223422.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260801094053.htm A new 3D printing technique can produce exceptionally hard tungsten carbide cobalt while using less of its expensive raw materials. By softening rather than fully melting the material, researchers created defect-free samples with industrial-grade hardness and opened the door to more efficient manufacturing. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 03:08:28 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260801094053.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260801042819.htm Researchers have found a way to build much larger “twisted” oxide materials while precisely controlling how their atomic layers line up. Because these materials can be made over large areas and transferred onto different surfaces, the technique could help turn twistronics from a laboratory curiosity into a practical platform for next-generation electronics. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:36:48 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260801042819.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260731034150.htm Scientists have identified LHAASO J1912+1014u as a cosmic accelerator that can push protons beyond one quadrillion electron volts. The finding may help reveal where the Milky Way’s most energetic cosmic rays come from and how they influence the galaxy. Sat, 01 Aug 2026 22:59:35 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260731034150.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260731034131.htm Scientists have built the first all-optical photonic time crystal, allowing them to reshape the behavior of terahertz light at extraordinary speeds. The breakthrough could open the door to ultrafast computing, smarter communication systems, advanced imaging, and a new generation of highly tunable lasers. Fri, 31 Jul 2026 05:13:30 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260731034131.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729051524.htm Engineers have transformed a notoriously brittle cobalt-aluminum compound into a material that is both extremely strong and capable of bending without breaking. Their nanoscale design produced a yield strength about six to 10 times greater than high-strength structural steel while sustaining substantial deformation at room temperature. The approach could enable tougher turbine blades and higher-performance engines. Thu, 30 Jul 2026 23:55:22 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729051524.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729051521.htm A new chemical process can transform three of the most common plastics into high-purity hydrogen without sorting them first. The technique operates at much lower temperatures than traditional gasification and captures most of the plastic’s carbon in solid or liquid forms instead of releasing it as carbon dioxide. Fri, 31 Jul 2026 08:46:18 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729051521.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729010726.htm Ultrafast X-rays revealed how a molecule converts absorbed light into motion in just trillionths of a second. Individual atoms recorded different stages of the process, opening a powerful new window into light-driven chemistry. Wed, 29 Jul 2026 22:18:28 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729010726.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727214557.htm Scientists have created twisted laser beams that interact differently with right-handed and left-handed molecules, revealing their identity through the fragments they produce. The approach could provide a faster, simpler, and more sensitive way to analyze important molecules used in chemistry and pharmaceuticals. Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:18:08 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727214557.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727012139.htm Physicists have uncovered a surprising limit to electrical resistance caused by particles colliding. Using ultracold potassium atoms trapped in a grid of light, researchers created a highly controlled stand-in for electrons moving through a solid. As collisions became more frequent and intense, resistance initially rose, but eventually hit a ceiling and stopped increasing. Thu, 30 Jul 2026 23:30:04 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727012139.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260724061452.htm Rice University chemists have found a new way to make neodymium, a rare-earth metal, interact with oxygen. Using a specially designed molecular structure described as a “basket,” the team positioned the atoms so they could form a bond once thought unlikely. The breakthrough produced highly reactive compounds that could eventually give chemists alternatives to iron-based molecules used in biological reactions and chemical manufacturing. Wed, 29 Jul 2026 07:47:05 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260724061452.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260723084049.htm A new analysis suggests the Sun holds far more silver than earlier estimates indicated. More advanced models of the solar atmosphere raised the calculated amount by 55 percent, bringing it into much closer agreement with ancient meteorites. The technique may also help scientists track the cosmic origins of silver and other heavy elements. Fri, 24 Jul 2026 21:55:27 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260723084049.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260722032130.htm Researchers discovered a proton-assisted mechanism that greatly improves how triplet energy moves between quantum dots and nearby molecules. The proton briefly shifts position, helps coordinate electron movement, and then returns to where it started. This quantum-driven shuttle could offer a powerful new way to tune solar cells, lasers, and catalytic reactions. Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:17:00 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260722032130.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260719035947.htm A new theoretical study offers a possible explanation for how the Universe can grow more complex without violating the second law of thermodynamics. Using a quantum gravity framework called Gravity from Entropy, mathematician Ginestra Bianconi found that the Universe’s total entropy may rise as space expands, even while entropy within each unit of volume falls. That decline could leave room for galaxies, stars, planets, and life to form locally amid an overall increase in cosmic entropy. Mon, 20 Jul 2026 22:40:55 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260719035947.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010156.htm Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating space-like conditions inside glass tubes. The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life and produces infrared signals similar to real material found in space. By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how organic chemistry unfolds around stars and how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those ingredients to Earth. Sun, 19 Jul 2026 09:10:21 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010156.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010149.htm Scientists have created a programmable optical chip that can slow light on demand, giving engineers far greater control over how optical signals propagate through a circuit. The technology could provide the delays, synchronization, and buffering functions needed to make light-based computing more practical. A single chip could eventually perform several tasks that currently require separate devices, potentially reducing energy use, cost, and complexity in AI servers and data centers. Tue, 21 Jul 2026 22:43:34 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010149.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010147.htm Scientists are testing two promising ways to destroy PFAS, the stubborn “forever chemicals” that can accumulate in water and resist normal treatment. One method uses collapsing vapor bubbles to generate extreme heat and reactive molecules, while the other uses cold plasma and rising gas bubbles to pull PFAS to the surface and break them apart. Sun, 19 Jul 2026 22:31:21 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010147.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260716023610.htm A new particle detector called PLATON could replace millions of tiny detector components with a single block of light-producing material. Using a light-field camera, highly sensitive photon sensors, and AI, it reconstructs particle paths in fast, detailed 3D. Simulations suggest it could match or surpass today’s best detectors while being far easier to scale. The technology may also lead to sharper PET medical scans. Fri, 17 Jul 2026 02:04:57 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260716023610.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260716023601.htm JWST has captured unusually detailed images of gas feeding the supermassive black hole at the center of NGC 4696. A vast filament appears to funnel material into an 800-light-year-wide spinning disk, where gas races around at up to 600 kilometers per second. The findings suggest black holes may recycle their own fuel by heating gas with jets and later drawing the cooled material back in. Fri, 17 Jul 2026 23:09:35 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260716023601.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260715083552.htm Researchers have created self-destructing living plastic that uses engineered bacteria to completely break itself down when activated. The material degrades in just six days without creating microplastics, offering a potential new solution for single-use plastic waste. Thu, 16 Jul 2026 23:09:42 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260715083552.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260715083535.htm A team of mathematicians used whimsical "silly sprinklers" to solve a physics mystery that has puzzled scientists for decades. Their experiments showed that the rotation of both normal and reverse sprinklers is driven by the momentum of flowing water, not by the outside water flow or other long-standing theories. The results finally provide a clear answer to Feynman’s famous sprinkler problem. They could also help engineers design more efficient fluid-powered machines. Fri, 17 Jul 2026 09:58:52 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260715083535.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260715083523.htm A new review highlights exciting progress in atomically thin quantum materials where light and magnetism work together in ways never before possible. In these materials, light-generated excitons can interact directly with magnetic behavior, creating opportunities to control magnetic states using light alone. Scientists believe this could pave the way for advanced optical memory, quantum devices, and ultra-efficient photonic technologies. Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:16:48 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260715083523.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260713000755.htm Scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have discovered a surprisingly simple way to create exotic light structures called optical skyrmions using a 200-year-old optical effect known as the Poisson spot. Instead of relying on expensive, highly engineered materials, they simply shine a laser at a tiny circular disc, producing stable swirling patterns in light that researchers believe could one day help power advanced data storage, communications, and computing technologies. Mon, 13 Jul 2026 08:49:50 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260713000755.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260711010128.htm Dark matter may be far more complicated than scientists once believed. A new study suggests it could consist of at least two different kinds of particles that slowly separate over time, with heavier particles sinking toward the centers of galaxies and lighter ones drifting outward. This simple idea could explain several puzzling cosmic observations that have frustrated astronomers for years, from unusually diffuse dwarf galaxies to surprisingly dense dark matter clumps that bend light through gravitational lensing. Mon, 13 Jul 2026 22:30:53 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260711010128.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260711010120.htm Researchers have recreated the physics of extracting energy from a spinning black hole using a stationary device that produces synthetic ultrafast rotation. The achievement transforms a long-standing theoretical idea into a practical experiment and could inspire new advances in optics, wireless communications, and quantum science. Sun, 12 Jul 2026 08:28:41 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260711010120.htm